“This sweeping historical trilogy, set across the tumultuous years of the Second World War and the aftermath, assembles an unlikely fellowship of prisoners united by a single imperative: survival. But survival is not merely endurance – it is also the forging of camaraderie, the capacity for forgiveness, and the stubborn insistence on maintaining humour amid unrelenting hardship.
At the centre stands Lance Corporal Richard “Jock” Mitchell, the narrative thread binding the trilogy together. Resourceful, quick-thinking, and possessed of an instinctive generosity, Jock becomes both catalyst and compass, his resolve galvanising others into acts of courage and kindness.
In the first volume, the prisoners uncover a secret of startling consequence: the Germans are concealing a cache of gold. What follows is an audacious plan to “liberate” this treasure – a scheme requiring an escape from the camp, a hiding place for the gold, and ultimately a return to captivity. The risks are immense, and failure carries consequences too grave to ignore.
The second instalment turns a stark light on the brutal conditions endured within the camps and during the forced marches between them. Yet even here the series finds room for levity and moral choice, as the group grapples with the perilous decision to rescue an innocent in a decidedly unconventional manner.
By the third book, the war is over and Jock has returned home to his wife and young daughter, attempting to lay the ghosts of war to rest. But peace proves elusive. When he is presented with a compelling proposition – to return to Poland in search of the long-buried treasure – he is drawn once more into subterfuge. Travelling under the unlikely cover of a schoolgirls’ orchestra and accompanied by British government agents, Jock soon discovers that, as ever, nothing is quite what it seems.
In the Face of the Foe ultimately affirms that even amid humanity’s darkest chapters, compassion, solidarity, and the will to persevere endure as the true triumphs. It reminds us, too, of the fragility and preciousness of life, and of the imperative to make every moment count.
The books resonated deeply with me, so immersing me in their harrowing depictions of war that I found myself constantly measuring them against the relative comfort of contemporary life. The author does not shy away from the brutal realities, but balances them with flashes of levity that illuminate the resilience of the human spirit. The result is a compelling, finely crafted narrative and a thoroughly rewarding read, one I would readily recommend,” The International Review of Books.
MORE ABOUT THESE BOOKS:
Three action-packed adventures featuring British prisoner of war, Lance Corporal Richard ‘Jock’ Mitchell. One man’s story of survival across two conflicts, told in three tales.
After surrendering to the all-conquering Wehrmacht in France in May 1940 as part of the rearguard that allows the bulk of the British army to evacuate at Dunkirk, Jock faces five years of captivity in distant Poland under the brutal Nazis, and a lifetime of trauma and torment from his memories. Disarmed and forgotten, starved, and mistreated, Jock and his friends may have thought their war was over, but it’s only just begun.
Triumphant Where It Dares Defy (1941) – For those in the British army captured holding back the advancing Germans, things look grim. The Nazis have stolen their freedom and dignity, but after a year in captivity, it’s time to steal something back. Against his better judgement, Jock finds himself at the centre of a brazen plan to give Hitler a bloody nose. To succeed, he needs to break out of the prison camp… and back in.
A Place More Dark (1945) – After five years of hell, it’s about to get worse for the prisoners of Stalag XXA. Pawns in a deadly World War endgame, victory for the starved inmates is surviving their brutal Nazi overseers and an unforgiving winter’s march across Europe. Weak and a shadow of the man he once was, Jock still finds the strength to rescue the most unexpected of companions from the dangers of war-torn Europe.
For All the Treasures Buried Far (1948) – Germany has surrendered, but for the survivors from Stalag XXA, their war never ends. Still a prisoner of the ghosts and demons from his time as a captive under the Nazis, Jock returns to Poland, where death offers a drastic means of escape from his internal torment. But a greater, more appealing prize awaits if he can survive one last adventure in a new type of war against an old ally turned enemy, the Soviet Union.
